Overview
The Available Product Catalog Accessibility Report gives institutions and internal VitalSource users visibility into the accessibility metadata associated with the digital products in their available catalog. It draws on publisher-submitted accessibility metadata for items that are “In Inventory” or “Limited Distribution,” helping users identify accessibility features, gaps, and legal considerations before assigning course materials.
Key Questions This Report Answers
What accessibility information is available for the products in my institution’s available catalog?
Which titles have complete accessibility metadata versus metadata that a publisher has not yet submitted?
What accessibility features (ways of reading, navigation, rich content, hazards) does a specific title support?
How to Use This Report
Start with the filters — Narrow by Product Format, Publisher, BISAC, or Distributor, or search directly by VBID to look up specific titles.
Interpret the results — Review each accessibility category (Ways of Reading, Conformance, Navigation, Rich Content, Hazards, Accessibility Summary) per title. A “null” value means the publisher has not yet sent accessibility metadata for that category — it does not necessarily mean the title is inaccessible.
Take action — Use the accessibility summary and legal considerations fields to determine whether a title meets an institution’s accessibility requirements before assignment.
💡 Tip: You can copy and paste up to 16,000 VBIDs or ISBNs (separated by commas, not semicolons) into the VBID filter to check accessibility across a large list of titles in one search. |
Filters
Filter Name | Description | Required? | Default Value | Example Values |
|---|---|---|---|---|
VBID | VitalSource ID associated with the item. Supports multi-search of up to 16,000 values pasted from a spreadsheet or as a comma-separated list. | No | None | “12345678” |
Product Format | Format of the item (e.g., epub or pdf). | No | All Formats | “epub”, “pdf” |
Publisher | The content owner (Manage company name). Limited to companies the system user is associated with. | No | All Publishers | “Publisher A” |
BISAC | BISAC categories associated with the item, used to search for a specific course area. | No | All Categories | “Medical”, “Business & Economics” |
Distributor | Name of the company that distributed the content. Limited to companies the system user is associated with. | No | All Distributors | “Distributor A” |
Fields & Metrics
Field Name | Description | Data Type | Example Value |
|---|---|---|---|
VBID | VitalSource ID associated with the item | Text | “12345678” |
Author(s) | Author name(s) associated to the VBID | Text | “Jane Author” |
Item Name | Name of the item | Text | “Sample Title” |
Product Format | Format of the item (i.e., epub or pdf) | Text | “epub” |
Publisher | The content owner (Manage company name) | Text | “Publisher A” |
BISAC | Provides the BISAC categories associated to the item | Text | “Medical” |
Ways of Reading | Accessibility category that indicates how the content facilitates access related to visual adjustments, nonvisual reading (read aloud speech or dynamic braille), and prerecorded audio. | Text | “Read Aloud” |
Conformance | Accessibility category that indicates which conformance standards the digital publication claims to meet | Text | “WCAG 2.1 AA” |
Navigation | Accessibility category that indicates any navigation features | Text | “Table of Contents” |
Rich Content | Accessibility category that indicates any math or chemical formulas or information rich images such as charts, diagrams, or graphs in the content | Text | “MathML” |
Hazards | Accessibility category that indicates any potential hazards that could affect users | Text | “None” |
Accessibility Summary | Accessibility summary provided for the digital publication | Text | “Meets WCAG 2.1 Level AA” |
Legal Considerations | Information on exemptions or exceptions for accessibility in a jurisdiction | Text | “None noted” |
Additional Accessibility Information | Additional accessibility information related to the digital publication | Text | “N/A” |
General Information | Denotes if the material is a tagged PDF | Text | “Tagged PDF” |
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why is a field showing as “null” for a product?
A: A null value means the publisher has not yet submitted accessibility metadata for that category. It does not necessarily mean the title is inaccessible — check back later or contact the publisher for status.
Q: Why don’t I see all the titles in my catalog?
A: Results are limited to titles that are “In Inventory” or “Limited Distribution.” Titles outside these statuses will not appear.
Q: Can I look up accessibility information for many titles at once?
A: Yes. Copy and paste up to 16,000 VBIDs or ISBNs, separated by commas (not semicolons), into the VBID filter.